Barbara Johnson, the Nassau County legislator who passed away last week, was a resident of Port Washington. As a legislator, she represented a slice of the Roslyn area. She was also a native of our area, raised in the south park section of Roslyn Heights. Her public career was exemplary; if certain local governments had practiced her brand of fiscal conservatism (this is how she publicly described herself), then we might not be stuck in our current fiscal straits. That, of course, is only a part of the story. Her long struggle against breast cancer was well known to her constituents. Her generosity was also extended to this office. Every Christmastime, she would send a handsome wreath to the editor of this paper. Barbara Johnson will be missed, but her legacy of public and private courage will live on for a long while.